This invention relates to a food package including a tray surrounded by a sleeve having an end flap.
Packaging for food items typically involves providing a styrofoam tray on which the food product is supported and which is then wrapped by a plastic wrap. There are several disadvantages with this package, such as, for example, the package may tend to leak and may not provide sufficient labeling space. To overcome this problem, my U.S. Pat. No. 5,492,703 provides a food package including a food package tray partially surrounded by a food package jacket. With this package, there is a separate lid and a separate jacket that each must be secured to the food package tray. The jacket is secured to the food package tray as a result of side flaps of the jacket being sealed to a flange portion of the food package tray. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,801,017 provides a food container including a food package tray surrounded by a jacket. With this package, the jacket includes side flaps and end flaps which are also sealed to the rim of the food package tray. This food packages also fail to provide sufficient labeling space.
Commonly owned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/819,889, filed Mar. 18, 1997, (now U.S. Pat. No. 5,743,402)discloses a food package including a tray and sleeve. The sleeve is disposed about the tray and provides an attractive facing and sufficient labeling space.
What is needed, therefore, is a food package which provides a sleeve disposed about a tray where the tray can be conveniently retained within the sleeve.